Tourism Leaders to Hold Meeting on St. Thomas

Tourism Leaders to Hold Meeting on St. Thomas
by Aldeth Lewin (Virgin Islands Daily News)

Fifteen members of the Caribbean Tourism Organization will arrive on St. Thomas today for their annual board meeting. The 15 chapter presidents of the organization will spend four days in the territory for meetings, seminars, hotel inspections and sightseeing.

The CTO’s chapters are the voluntary marketing arms of the organization. The chapters comprise travel agents who conduct monthly seminars and presentations about Caribbean destinations to educate other travel agents about Caribbean tourism.

Chapter presidents hold their annual board meeting on a different Caribbean island each year to develop programs to promote the region and to learn more about the various destinations. Officials from the V.I. Tourism Department will welcome the group at King Airport today and have arranged several activities, including island tours and shopping trips, for the group during their stay.

Tourism also will make a presentation to the chapter presidents to familiarize them with the U.S. Virgin Islands and give them information to help promote the territory. Local hotels, attractions, dive operators, destination management companies and wedding planners also will have the opportunity to meet the travel agents and promote their services at a mini trade show.

“We are delighted that the CTO Chapter Presidents have selected St. Thomas for this year’s board meeting,” Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty said in a prepared statement. “This is an excellent opportunity for us to capture the attention of an influential group of travel professionals and to showcase all the USVI has to offer their clients.”

The group also will meet Gov. John deJongh Jr. at Government House and have a chance to listen to a keynote presentation by CTO’s Secretary General Hugh Riley. The Caribbean Tourism Organization develops partnerships to increase the demand for travel to the Caribbean. With headquarters in Barbados, the CTO has 32 member countries, including English, French, Spanish and Dutch countries and territories, as well as allied members in the private sector.